Three Wishes
by ejwalker
Summary: A thief can't steal a better life. A princess has to obey the law. A genie's fate is up to his master. But are three wishes enough to get what they want and still stop the grand vizier's wicked plan?
1. Chapter 1

Night in the desert. The silhouette of a cloaked man on a horse stood out against the star-filled sky. With the muffled sound of hooves on sand, another rider joined him. This one had a black, round-eared cat perched on his shoulder.

"You're late."

"Well, sor-ry," replied the new arrival, unapologetic. "I got what you wanted, though."

The first man held his hand out expectantly.

The cat hissed.

"He wants to know where the treasure is," the second man said, grinning. "So do I."

"We can't find it until you give me the relic piece," growled the first man. "Hand it over, Gajeel. You'll get paid."

Gajeel considered this for a moment. Finally he shrugged and held a small object up to the cat. "Okay, Lily. Give it to him."

The cat took the object carefully in his mouth, leaped onto the first man's lap, and dropped it in his waiting hand. Then he jumped back to Gajeel.

A pleased smirk spread across the first man's face. He took out a second, similarly-shaped object. The two pieces fitted neatly together and started glowing, then rose from the man's hand. He caught a glimpse of fairy-like wings and a tail before it darted away across the sand.

"Now we follow it," he said. He urged his horse into a run, and Gajeel was right behind him.

The fairy relic flew to a large dune of sand, then split and burrowed into it. The sand started to shift, rising to form a fierce dragon's head with eyes lit by the glowing relic pieces.

"That's somethin', alright," said Gajeel, trying not to show how impressed he was. "But where's the treasure?"

"Inside," said the other man. And as he spoke, the dragon's mouth opened, revealing a passageway.

The two men got off their horses, and the cat settled down to wait on Gajeel's saddle.

"You remember what to do?"

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Gajeel impatiently. "Bring you the lamp, and I get all the treasure I want. I got it." He started towards the dragon's mouth.

Suddenly, the dragon moved, and a deep voice rumbled out of its depths. "Who disturbs my slumber?"

"Huh?" Gajeel looked a bit surprised, but decided it wouldn't hurt to answer. "I'm Gajeel. I won't bother you long. Just let me get in and out, and you can go back to your... slumber."

The dragon rumbled again. "Know this... Only one may enter here, one whose worth lies far within: a diamond in the rough."

Gajeel paused, but then continued on, undaunted. He stepped over the dragon's teeth and found a stairway leading down into its throat. He put one foot on the first stair. Nothing happened. Another step down.

With a roar, the dragon's mouth slammed shut, and the sand collapsed down into a dune again. The pieces of fairy relic tumbled down its side, as a last rumbling sentence died off into echoes. "Seek ye out the diamond in the rough... the diamond in the rough... diamond... in the... rough..."

The other man was left alone with two horses and a cat. "No!" he growled. "I'm never going to get a hold of that lamp, am I?!"

"That depends."

The man spun around to see who was talking to him.

The black cat jumped down from Gajeel's horse and picked up the fairy relic. "How patient are you?" asked the cat, holding up the pieces in his front paws.

"You can talk?"

"Yes," said the cat in a tone that made it clear he was not going to explain. "My name is Pantherlily."

"I'm Laxus." The man knelt in front of the cat and pushed his hood back, revealing short blond hair and a thin, jagged scar across his right eye. He took the relic pieces, careful not to put them together. "How patient am I... What do you mean?"

"Gajeel was obviously not the one person who could enter. So you must search for this one person." Pantherlily had a scar too, a crescent just above his left eye.

Laxus nodded. "The diamond in the rough..."


	2. Chapter 2

A black-haired boy in ragged trousers scrambled across a rooftop, clutching a loaf of bread. He stopped just short of falling off the edge.

"Stop now!" an angry female voice yelled. The boy looked back and saw the captain of the guard running after him, her long red hair flying out behind her. "I'll cut off your hands for this, thief!"

"It's only one loaf of bread," the boy muttered. To be fair though, it wasn't the first thing he'd ever stolen. He jumped from the roof, sliding along a line of clothes hung out to dry. The clothesline ended at a window with closed shutters, and the boy dropped to the street. He dug himself out of the pile of clothing he'd picked up on the trip and looked around.

Up on the roof, the captain was still watching the thief as he fled. However, she was not about to try reaching the ground by the same route he took.

"You won't get away so easy!" yelled a guard beside her.

"Don't worry. It's not as easy as it looks," the young thief called up to them.

"Baka!" roared the captain, slapping the other guard's head. "Don't waste time talking to the vermin! Get down there and capture him!"

"Yes, Captain Erza," whimpered the guard. Two more guards showed up.

"You two go that way!" barked Erza, pointing. She grabbed the first guard by his collar and headed in another direction. "We'll catch him sooner if we split up."

The boy noticed a group of women nearby, chuckling at him. Quickly he used the pile of clothing to improvise an outfit like theirs, and scurried over. "Good morning, ladies," he said casually.

A sweet-voiced woman with white hair shook her head in amusement. "Are you in trouble already, Gray?"

"But, Miss Mirajane, I'm not in trouble if they can't catch me!"

"I have you now!" A hand grabbed hold of Gray, jerking him away from the women. His disguise slid off.

"Okay, now I'm in trouble," Gray said wryly as he found himself face to face with Erza.

"That's right," started Erza, only to be interrupted by a face full of clothes.

"Good job, Happy," said Gray, squirming out of the captain's grip and running for it. "Let's get outta here!"

"Aye, sir!" replied his blue cat pal, scampering after him.

They proceeded to lead the guards on a crazy chase through the city of Magnolia. Their escapades included stealing one of the guard's pants, and a shortcut through a harem where the girls all acted as though this was a normal occurrence.

"Hi, Gray!" called one of the girls, who had wavy brown hair. "Bring me that wine on your way through, would ya?"

Gray snagged the bottle as he passed, and handed it to her. "You drink too much, Cana," he scolded.

She just grinned. "You steal too much."

"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat."

Back on the street again, they tried to hide behind a strong man, matching his poses as he flexed his muscles for the crowd. They couldn't keep it up for long.

"Hiding is not manly!" yelled the strong man as Gray took off after being spotted.

"Speaking of not manly, look out for Master Bob's door," the blue cat warned Gray.

"Right," said the thief, making a quick change of direction. "We don't want to him to catch us again. He's almost as bad as the guards..."

The chase continued through a flock of sheep and into the more bizarre part of the bazaar, where people played with fire and swords.

Happy scrambled up to the shoulder of the sword swallower. "Excuse me, I need to borrow this, sir..." The cat pulled the sword out of the man's mouth and hopped down, then brandished his new weapon at the pursuing guards.

They cringed and cowered before him. "He's got a sword!" one squeaked, for which he received a smack from Erza's fist.

"Idiots, what about your own swords?!" She drew hers and pointed it at the cat.

Feeling much braver now, the other guards drew their swords too.

"Okay, I guess that didn't work..." Happy dropped the sword and raced after Gray.

Gray started up a stairway. Some guards blocked his way. Back down the stairs. More guards. It looked like they were stuck, but Happy led Gray through a window in the wall beside the stairway.

The guards came through the window after them, but Gray snatched a rug from the floor, raced across the room to a window on the other side, and dove out. He drifted slowly to the ground, holding the ends of the rug so it caught the air.

The guards didn't look before they jumped out too, and they fell straight into a cart full of manure. "This stinks," groaned one of the guards.

"Aye!" Happy said cheerfully from his perch on Gray's shoulder.

Erza appeared in the window and started yelling at her subordinates for their stupidity.

"I think that's our cue to exit," said Gray, smirking.


	3. Chapter 3

The thief and his cat buddy settled down in an alley a few streets away to enjoy their hard-won meal. Gray broke the loaf of bread into two pieces and handed the slightly smaller one to Happy.

The cat started munching away, but just as Gray was about to bite into his share, he noticed two kids digging through a garbage dumpster at the other end of the alley. There was a little girl with blue hair and a smaller boy with purple hair. The children caught him looking at them and hid behind the dumpster.

Gray looked down at the bread in his hand, then back at the children. Then he stood up and walked over to them, holding out the bread. "Here... take it."

Happy stopped chewing and watched in confusion as the children cautiously crept out.

"You really mean it?"

"Yeah," said Gray. He figured he could always steal more. "Go on. It's yours."

The cat looked down at his own piece, then got up and offered it to the kids too.

"Aw, thank you, neko-chan," the little girl said and patted him on the head.

Happy giggled and twitched out from under her hand. "It isn't like it was fish," he protested modestly. Then he heard some loud noises, and looked around for Gray.

The thief was at the end of the alley, watching as a prince with dark blue hair rode by. He wore fancy clothes, lots of rings, and an arrogant expression that almost perfectly matched the one on his horse's face.

"On his way to the palace, I suppose," murmured one of the bystanders.

"Another suitor for the princess," agreed someone else.

Gray jumped in surprise as the little boy ran past him, out of the alley, and right in front of the prince's horse. The horse reared.

"Romeo!" The little girl ran out and tried to pull the boy back.

The horse came down without hurting them, but the prince shouted, "Stay out of the road, brats!" He pulled out a whip and swung it at them.

The whip coiled around Gray's arm as he stepped in front of the children. "They're just kids; they didn't mean to get in your way." He jerked the whip away from the prince, then tossed it aside. "What good is being rich if you can't afford some manners?"

The prince glared. "Oh, I'll teach YOU some manners!" He urged his horse forward, knocking Gray over, and then rode on.

People in the crowd laughed, but Gray said loudly, "Hey, I don't think I've ever seen a horse with two rear ends before. It looks pretty stupid."

The prince stopped and looked back. Even his horse seemed insulted. "You're just a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, you'll die a street rat..." Turning away haughtily, he rode his horse through the palace gates. "...and only your fleas will mourn you!"

Gray scrambled to his feet and ran forward, but the gates slammed shut in his face. "You're the one who's worthless," he grumbled to nobody as the crowd dispersed. "And I don't have fleas." He caught himself scratching his head and sighed. "Happy?"

"Aye, sir?"

"Let's go home."


	4. Chapter 4

The door from the gardens swung open with a bang. Makarov, sultan of Magnolia, was so startled that the feather on the front of his turban flopped over and dangled in his face, tickling his nose.

"I've never been so insulted in my life!"

Makarov pushed the feather back up before it made him sneeze. "You're already leaving? So... soon?"

The prince stalked away indignantly, a gaping hole in the seat of his pants showing off the pink heart pattern of his undershorts. "Good luck finding someone to marry _her_!"

Makarov sighed and headed for the garden.

"Lucy? Lucy!" He jumped as a tawny lion appeared in front of him, growling, with a scrap of cloth from the prince's pants in its teeth. "Drop it, Loke..." He tried to tug the scrap from the lion's mouth.

Loke treated it as if they were having a tug of war, finally pulling away with just a shred left.

Makarov fell over holding the rest of the cloth. He pushed his feather up again and scowled. "So this is why Prince Bora left."

"Oh, Gramps," sighed the blond princess. "Loke was just having fun with him. Right, Loke?"

The lion walked over and let her take the last shred from his teeth.

She tossed it aside and fondled the lion's head. "You were just playing around with that boring, self-absorbed jerk, weren't you?" The lion made a noise that sounded like laughing, and Lucy laughed with him. Then she noticed the sultan wasn't amused. "Um, sorry..."

Makarov sighed. "Child, you can't keep rejecting all your suitors like this. The law says you must marry a prince..."

"...By my next birthday," Lucy finished, rolling her eyes. She got up and walked over to a large, fancy birdcage full of doves. "It's such a stupid law," she groaned, opening the door and reaching in.

"Your birthday is in three days," Makarov reminded her.

"I don't want to get married yet," Lucy protested. She took one of the doves and held it to her cheek.

"Lucy," said Makarov gently. "If something were to happen to me, like it did to your father..." He took the dove and put in back in the cage, carefully shutting the door. "I want you to be provided for."

Lucy sat down by the pond and swirled her finger through the water, brushing up against the tiny fish in it. "But I never get to do anything worthwhile! I don't have any friends..."

Loke let out an objecting growl.

"Except you, Loke," Lucy said quickly. "I've never even been out of the palace," she went on.

"But you're a princess, Lucy. Princesses can't just wander around wherever they please; it isn't safe."

Lucy huffed loudly. "Well, I didn't ask to be a princess!" she cried, slapping her hand against the water. A few drops splashed out of the pond onto Loke. The lion looked a little disgruntled, but he just shook the wet out of his mane as best he could.

Makarov decided he wasn't getting anywhere with this, and went back inside before Lucy made him even more irritated with her.

Still frustrated, Lucy ran over to the bird cage and flung its door wide open. The startled doves flew off, and Lucy felt a little better. At least the birds could enjoy a bit of freedom, even if they just flew home to the cage afterward. She wondered if she could find a way to let the fish loose too.


	5. Chapter 5

Makarov tried to calm himself. However, a shadow fell over him, making him jerk for the third time that day.

"Oh, it's you Laxus," he said in relief. "Thank goodness. Do you have any idea how to solve this suitor business? Lucy's still as stubborn as ever."

"I live to serve you," said Laxus calmly, bowing. The black cat on his shoulder shifted to keep its balance and dug its claws in a tiny bit.

Makarov smiled. "I see you got a cat. Nice kitty..." He tried to pet the cat, but it hunched away from him and gave him an unnerving stare.

"He's called Pantherlily. I inherited him from a friend," Laxus explained with half a shrug. Half, because he didn't move the shoulder the cat was on. "He's not real friendly, but he doesn't bite. Now about your problem..." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't have any ideas right now, but perhaps I can come up with something. Especially if you let me borrow the mystic blue diamond..."

The sultan looked at his ring, which was set with a large blue stone. "My ring? How would that help you?"

"It's called mystic for a reason, you know. It could help me locate the future husband of the princess. But I wouldn't want to bore you with details..."

Makarov nodded. "All right, Laxus." He handed over the ring. "Let me know if you need anything else, okay?"

"Of course." Laxus bowed again and left the room.

"The sultan sure trusts you," Pantherlily commented once they were out of earshot.

"He should," said Laxus. "One doesn't get made the grand vizier by accident, you know. I've done enough to earn the position ten times over." He pulled on a rope, and a wall slid open.

Laxus entered the secret passage and closed it behind him. "Soon though, I'll be more than that," he mused, holding up the ring. "I'll be the sultan myself."

* * *

Gray looked out over the darkened city streets from the abandoned building he and Happy called home. From here he could see the palace.

"Ya know what, Happy? Someday we'll be rich enough to live in a place like that."

The cat didn't answer, and Gray looked over to see that his little blue friend was fast asleep with drool hanging from his smiling mouth.

"Already dreaming of fish," Gray chuckled softly. He went over and tucked the cat's blanket in around his small furry head. "G'night, Happy."

"Aye," mumbled Happy.

Gray glanced at the palace again before going to bed himself. He was too far away to see the shadowy figure sneaking through the gardens...

...The figure reached the wall, then started trying to climb a tree next to it. It was the princess, dressed in clothes a commoner would wear.

Something caught at her skirt. Lucy looked down and found Loke looking sadly at her, his mouth full of cloth.

Lucy stepped away from the tree and hugged the lion. "I'm sorry, Loke, but I can't stay here and be ordered around for the rest of my life. You understand, don't you?"

The lion whined, but he let go of her skirt and rubbed his head against her.

"I'll miss you, too..." Lucy turned back to the tree. She jumped for the first branch and missed. She tried again and lost her balance, but the lion caught her and gave her a boost up. Once she was in the tree, it was fairly easy to get to the top of the wall.

"Goodbye," she said softly before dropping to the ground on the other side.

With a sigh Loke settled down on the grass and rested his head on his paws.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ready, Happy?"

"But I wanted fish today..."

"We had fish the day before yesterday. The fish seller will still be watching for us, so we can't visit him again for a while."

The blue cat sighed and wrapped his tail around Gray's ankle. "Okay, I'm ready," he whispered. He went over the edge of the awning and grabbed one of the melons being sold just below them.

The melon merchant noticed. "Hey, get your paws off that."

Happy clutched the melon to his tummy and stuck out his tongue at the merchant. "Thhpppp!"

"Why, you!" The merchant hurried over and snatched the melon from Happy. "Get away, you mangy cat!"

Gray reached down from the other side of the awning and swiped a melon behind the merchant's back.

The melon merchant grumbled to himself, turning around and placing the cat's melon neatly on a stack... right where the one Gray took had been. The merchant looked puzzled, then glanced back at Happy.

"Bye bye," said Happy with a grin. He waved his empty paws at the merchant, then pulled himself up out of sight.

"Nice going," Gray said quietly. He split the melon in half on his knee and handed part of it to Happy. "Itadakimasu!"

"Aye!"

While those two enjoyed their breakfast, a girl wandered through the market. The shopkeepers called out their wares, hoping for business.

"Pretty lady, buy a pot. No finer pot in brass or silver!"

"Sugar dates! Sugar dates and figs! Sugar dates and pistachios!"

"Would the lady like a necklace? A pretty necklace for a pretty lady..."

The disguised princess gave a smile, charmed by the jewelry merchant's flattery, but the next moment the fish seller was thrusting a smelly fish in her face.

"Fresh fish! We catch 'em, you buy 'em!"

"Um, no thanks." Lucy backed away and bumped into a fire-eater, who was startled into swallowing his fire a little sooner than he'd planned. "Oh! I beg your pardon."

The fire-eater gulped and thumped himself on the stomach, making hiccupy noises before belching flame. Lucy jumped, and her hood fell off.

Gray's eye was caught by Lucy's shining golden hair. He watched as the girl pulled her hood up and apologized to the fire-eater again.

"I'm really sorry..."

The fire-eater waved her off, smiling to show that he wasn't upset.

Happy noticed Gray staring. "Gray? What's up?" He got no reaction.

The cat turned to see what Gray found so fascinating. Then a grin spread across his face. "You l-l-l-like her..."

Lucy stopped by the fruit cart and noticed a little pink-haired girl staring at the fruit. "Are you hungry?"

The little girl nodded.

Lucy took an apple and handed it to her. "Here you go."

The little girl took the apple eagerly and ran off.

"You'd better be able to pay for that," growled a voice.

Lucy turned and gave the cart owner a puzzled look. "Pay?"

"No one steals from my cart! Where's your money?"

"What's money?" asked Lucy. "I don't think I have any."

"Thief!" snarled the cart owner, and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, let go! If you want money so badly, I can ask the sultan for some..."

The cart owner wouldn't listen. "Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" He pulled out a sword and held the girl's hand down.

"No!" cried Lucy. "Hang on, I'm not a thief!"


	7. Chapter 7

As the cart owner started to bring the sword down, a black-haired boy seized his arm.

"You found her! Thank you so much, sir!" The boy turned to Lucy. "Where have you been? I looked everywhere!" he exclaimed, surreptitiously handing Lucy the sword before the cart owner noticed it was missing.

"What are you doing?" Lucy whispered.

"Play along with me," Gray whispered back, ignoring her question.

The cart owner's hand rested suspiciously on Gray's shoulder. "You... know this girl?"

Lucy quickly put the sword behind her back while Gray spoke to the cart owner, doing a fine job of acting.

"Well, yeah. She's my sister." He leaned toward the cart owner and added in a low tone, "If she seems like a weirdo, that's 'cause she's not quite right in the head."

Lucy looked offended, but the cart owner wasn't watching her. "She said she knew the sultan!" he barked.

Gray nodded and waved a hand toward Happy. "She thinks our cat is the sultan, and he won't correct her. He likes it when she bows down to him."

Lucy didn't want to take the hint, but she figured it was better than having the cart owner mad at her. She fell on her knees in front of the cat, saying respectfully, "Oh, wise and powerful Sultan, what command do you have for your humble maidservant?"

Happy brightened. "Can you get me some fish?"

Fortunately, Gray went on talking before Lucy had to answer that. "It's just too bad, isn't it? No harm done, though." He handed the cart owner an apple he had snitched while the man was watching Lucy bow to the cat. Then Gray walked over and patted Lucy's head. "Get up, sis. We gotta go see the doctor now."

Lucy got up and followed him, pausing as they passed a camel. "Hello, doctor! How are you today?"

"Not that one," Gray said through his teeth, taking Lucy's arm and pulling her along. "Come along, your majesty _._ "

Lucy took a sharp breath, then realized he was talking to the cat, not her. Happy scampered after them with his paws full of apples he'd stolen.

The cart owner yelped. "Hey! Come back, you thieves!"

But the three of them were already running.

* * *

Pantherlily disliked hamster wheels.

Laxus said this wasn't a hamster wheel, but he couldn't convince the cat to believe him. Fortunately for Laxus, it was much easier to convince Pantherlily that the wheel needed to be turned, and the best way to turn it was by having a small creature run inside. Small like a cat.

Pantherlily supposed he could be grateful that they were in Laxus' secret chamber, so no one else would see him making a fool of himself. A cat's dignity was important.

"Faster, Lily."

"You're impatient. Waiting for a real storm would be easier than this."

"My patience is limited, so I'm saving it for the important things. The faster you run, the sooner you can stop."

"Oh, very well," the black cat grumbled. He ran faster, and the mechanism attached to the wheel began to crackle with electricity. A bolt of lightning shot through the blue-jeweled ring and into an hourglass. The sand in it began to swirl.

"Part the sands of time," murmured Laxus. "Reveal to me the one who can enter the cave."

The sand in the top half formed a dragon's head, like the one they had awakened in the desert with the fairy relic. Then the sand fell to the bottom in a cloud.

Laxus leaned in closer. In the hourglass, he saw a vision of a black-haired boy climbing a ladder. The boy turned back, offering his hand to someone with him. "The diamond in the rough," said Laxus triumphantly.

"So we're done here." Pantherlily leaped from the wheel and gave it a disdainful look as it slowly ceased spinning.

"Yes. Now I'll have the guards 'invite' him to the palace," said Laxus, heading for the door.


	8. Chapter 8

"Just a little farther," said Gray.

Lucy stepped away from the ladder and looked around. They seemed to be at a dead end.

"This is the your first visit to the market, isn't it?" Gray asked, picking up a long pole. Happy jumped onto his back, and the boy vaulted over to the next building.

Lucy blushed. "How'd you guess?"

"You stand out, you know." Gray found a plank and used it to make a bridge for Lucy. She crossed it, and Gray led her up some stairs into the building.

"You live here?"

"Yeah," answered Gray. "Watch your head..." He ducked under a beam. "Happy lives with me. It's a bit run down, but it does have a nice view." Gray pulled aside a ragged curtain, revealing the palace. "Pretty amazing, don't you think?"

"Sure... it's wonderful." Lucy sat down on a stack of bricks, her face downcast as she was reminded of the problems she'd run away from.

Gray, eyes on the palace, didn't notice the change in her mood. "I wonder what it's like to live there... with servants and all..."

"It sounds great, doesn't it?" Lucy would have told him how it really was, but she couldn't without revealing that she actually did live there.

Gray noticed a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Must be better than here, anyway. Always scrounging for food and avoiding guards. Sometimes I feel so..." He paused, searching for a word.

"Trapped?" suggested Lucy.

Gray nodded. "I wish I had more control over my life." He reached over and snitched a couple apples from Happy, ignoring the cat's frown, then handed one to Lucy. "So, where are you from?"

"I'm not going back, so it doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"If I do, they'll force me to get married."

"No way!" said Happy, forgetting to be mad at Gray. "That's awful!"

"Yeah," Gray agreed. "Wish we could do something to help."

Lucy smiled. "That's sweet of you."

Happy noticed that the two humans were staring at each other. A grin spread across his face, but, before anything interesting could happen, someone else showed up.

"You will not escape me this time!" Captain Erza slashed her sword through the low-hanging beam instead of ducking under it, and stepped forward.

Gray and Lucy jumped to their feet.

"Gramps must have sent them," murmured Lucy, but Gray wasn't listening.

He looked out the window, then turned back to her. "Do you trust me?" he demanded.

"What?" Lucy stared at him.

"Do you trust me?" Gray repeated, holding out his hand to her.

Lucy glanced at the angry captain approaching them, then took the thief's hand. "I think so..."

"Then jump!" He pulled her up and over the window ledge with him.

A pile of salt softened their fall, but when they got up to run they found more guards blocking their path. The guards moved to seize Gray. Happy ran between their feet, tripping them up, and Gray ducked around them, out of the alley... right into Erza.

She smiled triumphantly. "Good to see you again, thief."

Happy jumped on the captain's head, but she grabbed him and threw him into a nearby container with a lid. The lid fell shut, and Happy scrabbled around inside.

"You're going straight to the dungeon," Erza said, shoving Gray into the hands of her guards.

"Let go of me!" yelled Gray, struggling to get free.

"Release him!" Lucy shouted.

Erza turned and pointed her sword at Lucy. "And what do we have here? An accomplice?"

Lucy flung her hood off, repeating the order. "I said, release him!"

Erza put her sword away and lowered her head respectfully. "Princess Lucy."

The other guards bowed as well, forcing a shocked Gray down between them.

"What are you doing here, your highness?" asked Erza. "And with this... street rat?" She scowled at Gray.

"That doesn't concern you," snapped Lucy. "Do as I say. Let him go!"

Erza shook her head. "I would, Princess, but I have orders from the grand vizier. You'll have to speak to him about it." She motioned to the guards, and they dragged Gray away.

Lucy glared at Erza. "I'm going to do exactly that."


	9. Chapter 9

Laxus was barely through the hidden door when he heard the princess calling. He quickly shut it behind him just as Lucy came into the room.

"There you are, Laxus." Lucy looked furious.

Laxus couldn't remember ever seeing her this worked up. "Yes, Princess? Did you want me?"

Pantherlily very deliberately ran his claws down the back of the grand vizier's leg, and Laxus gritted his teeth.

"Captain Erza said you ordered the capture of a certain boy from the market."

Laxus nodded, doing his best not to react as the black cat continued using him for a scratching post. "That's one of my jobs, you know. Making sure criminals are taken off the streets."

"What did he do that was a crime?" demanded Lucy.

"Don't you know?" asked Laxus with a strained smirk. Pantherlily's claws were sharp. "Since you spent so much time with the thief, I'd think it was obvious. Of course, there's the additional charge of kidnapping royalty-"

"He didn't kidnap me, he saved me," interrupted Lucy. "I decided to run away - all on my own, nobody forced me - and then I had a misunderstanding with an over-zealous merchant who wouldn't listen to me. The boy stopped him from hurting me."

Laxus pretended to be surprised at this news. "Oh, I see... I suppose that means we went a little overboard, cutting off his head instead of just his hands..."

Lucy gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

"Well, everyone makes mistakes," said Laxus. He didn't bother to sound regretful. What did it matter to the princess if there was one less commoner on the streets?

"You... you... I hate you!" Lucy cried and fled from the room.

Laxus heaved a sigh of relief, then glared down at Pantherlily. "Don't ever do that again."

The cat glared right back at him. "Don't catch my tail in the secret door again and I won't have to."

Laxus opened the door slightly, and Pantherlily switched his tail out of the gap before stalking off.

* * *

Under a star-filled sky, Loke found his princess crying by the fountain in the garden. He nuzzled her arm with his head.

Lucy wrapped her arms around the lion and buried her face in his mane. "Why did I run away, Loke? I only made things worse," she said between sobs. "It's all my fault he's dead... and I don't even know what his name was..."

Loke gave her ear a lick with his rough tongue, trying to comfort her.


	10. Chapter 10

The object of the princess's sorrows was alive and well, if not free. Deep in the dungeon, Gray struggled against the metal holding his wrists to the wall above his head. Soon though, he gave up and started mumbling to himself. "The princess... Who'd have guessed? She probably thought I sounded like an idiot."

"Hello? Gray? Where are you, Gray?" called a voice in the distance.

"Happy?"

After a moment, the blue cat appeared at the barred window high above Gray's head. "Gray!"

"Yeah, Happy, I'm here. Can you get me outta this?"

Happy crawled through the bars and hopped down in front of Gray. "You should be more careful about helping strange girls."

"What are you talking about?" said Gray. "She had nothing to do with the guards finding us."

Happy giggled. "You l-l-l-like her..."

"Shut up, cat."

"You have to stay sharp and pay more attention, even if she is pretty." Still grinning, Happy jumped onto Gray's shoulders and pulled a lock-pick out of the little green knapsack on his back.

"Sure, whatever," snorted Gray. To himself though, he had to admit that she _was_ pretty. Maybe even pretty enough to be worth getting caught and thrown in the dungeon for.

"It's not like I'm ever gonna see her again," Gray went on as Happy fiddled with the padlock. "She lives in the palace. And there's a law saying that she has to marry a prince. I'm no prince..."

The lock opened, and Gray's hands fell to his lap. "I'd be a fool to even dream about a girl like her," he murmured, rubbing his wrists.

"You're only a fool if you give up," said a strange voice.

"Whoa!" Happy was so startled he fell off Gray's shoulder, then got up and scrambled behind his friend's back.

They saw an old man standing hunched over in the corner.

"Who are you?" asked Gray.

The old man hobbled toward them, dressed in rags and leaning on a rickety crutch. "Just another prisoner, like yourself. But perhaps we can change that."

"How?"

"There is a cave of wonders, filled with treasure beyond your wildest dreams. Enough treasure to impress even a princess..." The old man winked at Gray.

"What good would that do me?"

"Whoever has the gold makes the rules," the old man returned. "If you make the rules, you could allow the princess to marry whoever she wanted... even a boy off the streets."

That seemed true enough. "If you know where so much gold is, why tell me about it?"

"I need someone young and strong to go in after it," smiled the old man. "I know the location, you have the muscles. We work together and we both end up rich."

"But first we'd have to find a way out of here," Gray objected.

The old man chuckled. "You don't end up as old as I am when you live in a dungeon, unless you know a few secrets..." With the end of his crutch, he pushed back a stone in the wall and revealed a tunnel leading to the outside. "So, what do you say?"

Gray glanced at Happy, but the cat only shrugged. "Okay... I guess we're in."


	11. Chapter 11

Riding through the desert for a few hours brought them to... a spot that looked pretty much just like the rest of the moonlit sand. But the old man took out a broken relic, fitted it together, and soon a dragon's head was rising from the ground.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" a voice rumbled from deep inside it. Gray stared.

"Go on..." The old man waved him toward the sand dragon.

"Uh, sorry to wake you. My name's Gray," the thief said.

The dragon seemed to stare at him for an eternity. "Proceed," it finally growled. "Touch nothing but the lamp."

"Lamp?" Gray glanced at the old man again.

" _The_ lamp," the old man said. "Once you bring it to me, we can divide the rest of the treasure."

Gray nodded. "Come on, Happy."

The cat jumped onto his shoulder and they headed into the dragon's mouth. Descending the staircase in its throat with no trouble, they reached the bottom and found themselves in a huge room filled with gold and jewels.

"Whoa," Gray murmured. "Look at all this... I don't think even the sultan has this much gold!"

"It kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?" asked Happy.

"You mean why we're going after a measly lamp in the middle of all this?"

"That... and why the old man would be willing to share with us. Humans can be really greedy, and it seems to get worse the more treasure there is."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe he doesn't know exactly how much is down here," said Gray. He eyed the mountains of coins and other objects, considering. "The dragon said not to touch anything... It probably would know if we disobeyed."

Happy sighed. "Too bad. We could buy a lot of fish with just a pawful of this. But how are we supposed to find one lamp down here?"

"I guess we just walk around until we see it. If the lamp is the only thing we can touch, it wouldn't be buried under all the other stuff, right?"

"Aye!" said Happy, brightening up.

They moved through the room, but they saw no lamp. Instead they found a doorway leading to another chamber, also filled with endless riches.

"Just how much stuff is down here?" Gray grumbled. So much wealth was impressive, but it seemed like it was only in the way when they were looking for something else.

"Gray," whispered Happy, scooting closer to Gray's neck. "I feel like somebody's following us."

Gray turned and saw a flash of color behind them. "Who's there?" he called.

From behind a golden vase, a piece of magenta fabric appeared.

"It's a carpet!" gasped Happy. "A moving carpet!"

"It must be magic," said Gray. "Hey, carpet... you can come out. We're friendly."

Slowly the carpet came out of hiding and floated over to them. It had a pattern of little white cats, and a tassel on each corner.

"Hi, there," said Gray. "Do you live here? We're looking for a lamp, and with all this other stuff around it could take us forever to find it. If you know where it is, could you show us?"

The carpet flapped its front half, almost like a nod, and started gliding away.

"Thanks!" said Gray, hurrying after it.

They passed through more treasure rooms, then a long corridor that ended in a giant cavern. In the center was a pool of water, out of which rose a pillar of stone with steep stairs cut into its side. A crooked chain of rocks provided a bridge across the pool, and a beam of light shone down on the top of the pillar.

The carpet stopped and made an upward motion with one tassel.

"It's up there?" asked Gray. "Okay... Happy, you stay here, all right? I don't want you falling off my shoulder from a high place like that."

Happy sighed in disappointment, but he sat down beside the carpet.

Gray started carefully making his way across the stepping stones. He was almost to the top of the stairs when Happy noticed there were fish in the pool... shining, silvery fish that swam in lazy circles. The cat crouched and began moving closer to the water.

Gray reached the top of the pillar where the light was shining on a simple brass lamp that looked almost dull after all the piles of sparkling gold. "This better be the lamp the old man wanted," Gray mumbled. He picked it up, holding his breath.


	12. Chapter 12

Nothing happened, and Gray breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to head back down the stairs and saw the carpet holding Happy, trying to keep him out of the pool. "Huh? Happy, what are you doing?" called Gray.

Just then the carpet's grip slipped, and Happy dove into the pool, coming up with a silver fish in his mouth. Then he spit it out, yelling, "Hey! You're not a real fish!"

Gray had a bad feeling, and when the dragon's roar echoed around them he knew they were in trouble. He started running down the stairs, tying the lamp's handle to his belt as he went.

"You have touched the forbidden treasure! Now you will never again see the light of day!"

Happy scrambled out of the pool, looking scared. "I didn't mean to, Dragon-sama!" he cried. "Gomen'nasai, gomen'nasai!"

The pool started boiling, and in a few minutes all the water turned to steam, leaving only a growing puddle of molten rock. The stepping stones melted and turned to slag in the heat, and the stairs crumbled beneath Gray, turning into a slide and sending him plummeting toward the lava.

The carpet quickly scooped Happy up and flew over to catch Gray as well.

"Thanks, carpet," gasped Gray. "That was close... Can you get us out of here?"

The carpet immediately raced back toward the entrance. A wave of lava rose, following them down the corridor and out into the treasure rooms. The earth was shaking, and rocks fell from the ceiling, narrowly missing the carpet. Gray felt a small twinge of regret as the riches beneath him started dissolving in the rising flood of magma.

They had almost reached the dragon's mouth when a boulder fell and knocked the carpet's passengers off. Gray managed to catch hold of the rocks where the stairway had been when they came down. He started scrambling toward the door with Happy clinging tightly to his leg. Just below the entrance, Gray came to a stop, unable to find another handhold.

"Throw the lamp to me!" called a voice from above. The old man was reaching down to them.

"Get me out of here and you can have it!" Gray shouted back.

"No, give me the lamp first!"

Gray nodded at Happy. The cat untied the lamp from the boy's belt and climbed up his back to give it to the old man.

But as soon as the old man had the lamp, he held it over his head and started cackling.

"What are you doing?" shouted Gray. "Help me out now!"

Happy grabbed the cast-aside crutch and held it down for Gray to grab, but the old man knocked the cat aside and pulled Gray up by the wrist.

For the first time, Gray got a really good look at the man's face, jagged scar and all. His eyes widened. "You're not an old man!"

"You should have figured that out sooner," said Laxus, pulling out a dagger. "It's too late now. Sayonara."

"Don't hurt him!" Happy pounced on Laxus, scratching with all his might.

Laxus yelped and let go of Gray, who fell back into the depths of the cave. "Stupid cat!" Laxus was not pleased about getting clawed again. He shook Happy off and the cat fell after Gray.

Gray ricocheted off the walls on his way down until he was caught by the carpet. By then he was already unconscious.

"Where were you?" Happy demanded after it had caught him too. "Did you get stuck?"

The carpet gave an apologetic twitch and flew back up to the entrance, but the dragon's head had finally collapsed back into the desert, and they were sealed in.

* * *

Laxus chuckled. He dug in his ragged clothes for the lamp, then frowned. "Where is it?" He searched more frantically. "No... Not again!" Once more, his schemes had left him empty-handed.

* * *

When Makarov walked into Lucy's room, she was sitting on her bed with a tear-stained face, stroking Loke's head.

"Is something the matter, Lucy?" Makarov asked gently.

"Oh, Gramps... Laxus is horrible! Do you know what he did?" She looked like she was about to start sobbing again.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can fix it," the sultan tried to comfort her. He sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. "Go on, tell me all about it."


	13. Chapter 13

"Gray... Wake up, Gray!"

Happy shook Gray, but was only answered with a groan. The carpet underneath Gray lifted from the ground, pushing him to a sitting position.

"My head," mumbled Gray, holding his hand against it.

"Does it hurt?" Happy asked.

It did, too much for Gray to risk a nod. "Yeah..."

"I feel sorry for you, but I'm afraid we have other problems." The blue cat pointed above them.

Gray squinted upward, but all he saw was the ceiling of the cave. Then he realized that was the problem. "We're trapped." He wondered how there was enough light to see by, but decided it didn't really matter.

"This is all that weird old man's fault!" Happy complained.

"He wasn't an old man," said Gray. "But whoever he was, he's gone now. I wonder why he wanted that lamp so badly... It's not like it was worth much."

"I don't know, but... is your head feeling any better?"

"Some. Why?"

"I wouldn't want to surprise you if it might make your head hurt worse," Happy said with a sly little smile.

Gray looked at him curiously. "What kind of surprise? I think my head can take it."

Happy brought out the lamp and handed it to Gray.

"Furry pick-pocket," laughed Gray. "This is pretty beat up. Looks completely worthless." Headache forgotten, he examined the lamp more closely, searching for any inscriptions or other clues. He rubbed it with the side of his fist, seeing if he could get some dirt off it. Suddenly the lamp started to glow red and tremble in his hands.

"What's happening?" gasped Happy.

Gray was too preoccupied to answer. He didn't even think of dropping the lamp; instead he just instinctively hung on to it while it bucked around, a trail of smoke pouring out of the spout. The smoke formed a vaguely human-shaped cloud in front of them.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhnnnn..."

After a moment, Gray recognized the noise coming from the cloud. It was a yawn.

The smoke dissipated, leaving a pink-haired boy hovering in mid-air. He wore a black vest, a grid-patterned white scarf and brass wristbands, and he trailed off into pink mist below his belt. "Been a long time since somebody woke me up... About ten thousand years, I think, but I always lose track of time. So who are you?"

Gray gaped at him. "Who are _you_?"

The boy frowned. "That's what I said, and I asked first."

Gray's astonishment turned to irritation. "That doesn't mean you get answered first."

"Come on, Gray, don't fight with the genie," said Happy. He bowed politely to the boy. "My name is Happy, and this is Gray. And this is our carpet friend, but I don't think it has a name."

The carpet made its own sort of bow.

"A genie?" Gray repeated.

"That's right," replied the pink-haired boy, nodding. "I'm a fire djinn, and my name is Natsu. I made the wrong person mad once, and now I'm stuck granting wishes to idiots until further notice."

Gray was about to retort that he wasn't an idiot, but then his brain registered the rest of what Natsu had said. "Wait, you grant wishes?"

"Yeah, but only three per person, and there's a few rules about what you can wish for. I can't kill people, bring people back to life, or make people fall in love. And you can't wish for more wishes or change your mind once I grant your wish." Natsu folded his arms and scowled. "So get wishing already. You're kind of an annoying person and I'd like you to stop being my master as soon as possible."

"Master?" snorted Gray. "If I'm your master, why are you so disrespectful? If I had a master I wouldn't call him 'annoying'."

Natsu smirked. "I can be more respectful, if you _wish_..."

Gray noted the emphasis on the word wish. "No thanks, I want my wishes to be good. I'm not gonna waste them making you behave."

"Maybe you aren't quite as stupid as I thought," said Natsu, shrugging. "So, what do you want instead?"

Natsu's weak attempt to trick Gray had given him an idea. The human laughed. "I doubt you can handle it. So many rules about what I can't wish for... Are you sure you didn't forget a few?"

The djinn frowned. "That's all. Should I make up some more?"

"Gray..." Happy tugged on Gray's pants leg nervously. "I don't think you should be so rude to a genie," he said in a low tone.

"Why not?" Gray said scornfully. "I'm his master, and you heard what he said. He can't kill people. What a lame genie... I bet he can't even get us out of this cave." He tossed the lamp in the air and caught it again.

Natsu looked furious. "You rubbed my lamp and woke me up, so you're my master. You're a horrible master, but I can't be rid of you until you get your wishes." With every word, the djinn's voice got louder. "So guess what! Whether you think I'm lame or not, YOU'RE GETTIN' YOUR WISHES, JERK!" His hair burst into flames.

Gray stumbled backward and fell onto the carpet.

Natsu's lower half solidified into legs and feet, covered in white knee-length trousers, a black skirt-like thing that matched his vest, and a pair of sandals. He jumped on beside Gray, hair still burning, and grabbed the carpet's edge. "Get on, Happy."

"A-aye, sir..." The blue cat quickly scrambled aboard.

"Stay down, _Master_ ," Natsu ordered as Gray tried to sit up. "So what if I can't kill anybody... You'd be surprised what you can live through." He grinned fiercely.

Gray decided he'd better keep his mouth shut this time, so he simply rolled over and got a good grip on the carpet.

Natsu pulled the carpet's front end up and it started to accelerate. "We're outta here!" the djinn yelled, sounding more cheerful than Gray would have expected.

Happy shut his eyes and clung tightly to Gray's neck as they went hurtling at break-neck speed toward the ceiling.


	14. Chapter 14

As if Laxus wasn't in a bad enough mood, the sultan called for him as soon as he got back, none too pleased with the grand vizier's latest orders.

"I understand," Laxus assured him when the lecture started to wind down. "You want me to hold off on executing prisoners until I've discussed the sentences with you. Very well."

"Good... Now can we all put this behind us?" Makarov asked, looking toward Lucy.

Laxus offered the glaring princess an apology, although he was feeling a little humiliated about being scolded in front of her.

"If I have to get married, at least I'll be able to get rid of you once I'm queen," Lucy grumbled before primly leaving the room.

"And now that's settled," Makarov started, not noticing for a moment that Lucy had left, "about the suitors... Lucy?" He stopped talking and hurried after her. "Lucy, wait!"

Laxus let his face slip into a scowl. "If only I had that lamp... I can't stand doing this for the rest of my life."

"You only have to hold out until the princess marries," Pantherlily pointed out as he came in and sat down by Laxus' feet. "Do you think she'll have you banished, or beheaded like that thief?"

Laxus rubbed his neck, considering the possibility. "Who knows. I didn't really order him killed, but she doesn't know that, and he won't be coming back to tell her. But I need to come up with some plan to keep her from choosing either option."

"You could always marry her yourself," the black cat suggested.

Laxus did a double take. "Me?"

Pantherlily nodded. "If you marry the princess, you become the next sultan, right?"

The grand vizier started to grin. "You know, Lily, you're one clever cat."

* * *

"I take back what I said about you being a lame genie. What you are is way beyond lame."

The djinn didn't react to Gray's insult. He was splayed out on the carpet, limp and whimpering. Gray and Happy were giving him as much room as they could without falling off.

Natsu had started to look queasy almost the instant they were out of the cave. All they could get him to say was that ten thousand years was enough to make anybody forget they were prone to motion sickness.

"Over there!" said Happy. "I see an oasis!"

"Head for it, carpet," Gray ordered. Morning had come while they were underground, and the trees at the oasis would provide them with shelter from the sun.

Natsu groaned.

Gray rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic. How is it even physically possible for a djinn to have an upset stomach?"

"I dunno," the djinn mumbled. "Hrk..."

"Hang on," sighed Gray. "We'll stop moving in a minute."

Once they landed, Natsu tumbled off the carpet and started recovering.

Gray sat down under a tree. "So, Happy, what do you think I should wish for?" As soon as he asked, he wondered why he'd bothered. Sure enough...

"A lifetime supply of fish!"

"Oh, come on... I know you like fish, but that much would go bad before we could eat it all."

Happy looked sad. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He went off to see if the oasis had any fish in it.


	15. Chapter 15

"How about you, Natsu?"

"Huh?" Natsu sat up, feeling much better by now. "What about me?"

"What would you wish for, if you could?"

Natsu gave Gray a funny look. "If you really wanna know, I'd wish to be free."

"Free?" Gray sat up straighter and stared at the djinn. "You aren't already?"

Natsu pointed at the lamp, which was tied to Gray's belt again. "It's all part of being a genie. I have tons of power, but I have to obey the person holding the lamp. If I had even just one wish, I'd wish to end that. To be my own master... that would be better than any magic or treasure in the world!"

He looked away from Gray. "But the only way that could ever happen is if my master wished to set me free. And before you, nobody in all the time I've been a genie has even asked me what I want. No one would use any of their wishes on somebody other than them."

There was silence as Gray thought about this. So the djinn was a kind of prisoner as well. He was trapped, just like the princess. Just like Gray. "I would," he said quietly. "I'd wish for someone else."

Natsu snorted and stared into the distance. "You've already used one of your wishes, dummy. The other two will be gone just as fast."

"No, I haven't. I never wished to get out of the cave. I just made you so angry that you did it on your own."

Natsu opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't think of anything to say. "Fine," he snapped. "You still have three wishes. You aren't getting any more free stuff outta me, though."

"Whatever you say," said Gray. "Now, I just have to figure out what my first two wishes are gonna be. After that, I'll use the last one on you."

"Why would you do that?" Natsu looked skeptical.

"Because I know how what it's like, being unable to do what you want. I live on the streets and I have to steal just to eat. When I'm not stealing, I'm running and hiding so I don't get locked up or executed. I don't get much say in what happens to me, and neither do you, even though you're a powerful genie. And that's why I'm gonna set you free. I promise." Gray held his hand out to the djinn.

Natsu tried to frown, but somehow he couldn't keep it up long. "Okay... I'll believe you." He clasped Gray's hand in his own. "So, these other two wishes..."

Gray smirked. "Well, I was kinda hoping you could help me out with something. There's this girl-"

"No can do," interrupted Natsu.

"Hang on, I know you can't make people fall in love. I think she already likes me... maybe... But the problem is, she's not free either. She's the princess, and she has to marry a prince. That's where you come in. Can you make me a prince?"

"Sure, I can. But I won't unless you make a wish properly this time."

"Fair enough." Gray stood up and took a deep breath. "Natsu the fire djinn, I wish for you to make me a prince, with all the trappings and stuff that entails." He set one hand on the lamp and waved the other around in dramatic gestures as he spoke.

Natsu got up and hovered in mid-air, sitting with arms and legs crossed in traditional genie style. "Your wish is my command, Master," he said with a grin, apparently enjoying the theatrics. He pointed at Gray. "First, we'll fix your clothes. Shirtless and barefoot just won't do for a prince."

One finger snap from Natsu, and Gray was dressed in an outfit much like that of the prince he'd seen riding to the palace. But this one was not quite as flashy, and it was made of much finer material. Gray approved.

"You can keep the lamp in your turban," Natsu suggested. "It's not really something you want people to see, but you need to hang on to it or you can't command me. Especially if somebody else gets a hold of it. Now let's see... A prince needs to make an entrance."

The carpet got up and bowed, an 'at your service' kind of movement.

Natsu chuckled. "Magic carpets are good, but we also need something bigger. Like... Hmm." He scratched his head, then brightened. "Hey, Happy, c'mere!"

The blue cat came pretty willingly, since the oasis seemed to have a lack of fish. However, his name didn't suit him very well once the djinn had turned him into a large blue elephant. Since Happy lost the ability to talk with the transformation, he showed his displeasure by stomping around the oasis and knocking over a few trees.

Natsu's first idea had been a dragon, but even he had to admit that would be overdoing it. They didn't want people fleeing when Gray showed up.

"Sorry, Happy," said Gray, trying not to laugh. "But you look interesting like this. Maybe you should think about all the extra fish you can eat now?"

Happy sat down to sulk about how mean they were to him, and the djinn got busy with further preparations for the new prince's big arrival in Magnolia.


	16. Chapter 16

The sultan was startled out of a nap when Laxus came bursting into the throne room.

"Look here." Laxus waved a scroll in front of the sultan's face, then unrolled it and began reading aloud. "The law says, 'If the princess has not chosen a husband by the appointed time, then the sultan shall choose for her.'"

Makarov shook his head. "But Lucy hated all the suitors. I don't want to choose someone she hates."

"I wasn't finished. 'If, in the event a suitable prince cannot be found, the princess must then be wed to the grand vizier.'" He rolled the scroll back up. "I have to admit, her highness doesn't like me very much, but I don't think she absolutely despises me. And she's known me for a long time, so it's not like she'll have to marry a complete stranger."

Makarov nodded reluctantly. "And I know you'd take good care of her, Laxus. You may be right... this might be the best thing we can do. I hope Lucy will see it that way..." He trailed off, distracted by noise from outside. "What's that? Do I hear music?"

The sultan hurried to the balcony and saw a parade moving down the street, led by a pink-haired fire-eater who was also juggling balls of fire. "Laxus, come look! I've never seen such a parade."

Laxus went to look, although he had a sinking feeling that it was a new prince arriving. His mood didn't improve when he saw that the parade was bigger and more impressive than anything the previous princes had done.

Natsu spit a stream of fire up into the air, thoroughly enjoying his role in the parade. "Make way for Prince Gareth!" he shouted.

In the crowd, imitation humans of Natsu's making spread rumors of Prince Gareth's bravery, strength, riches, good looks, generosity, and his intent to court the princess. The djinn had made sure the parade was filled with wonders to confirm many of these rumors, including a menagerie of exotic creatures.

Atop Happy's back, Gray smiled, waved, and tossed handfuls of gold coins, all according to Natsu's instructions. Beneath him, the carpet held still for now, pretending to be an ordinary, magenta-colored rug.

The balconies lining the street were filled with spectators, including a few swooning girls. But on her own balcony, Princess Lucy scoffed at the spectacle and went back inside. "Just another self-centered idiot..."

Moments later the parade reached the palace, the doors to the throne room flew open, and Happy stepped in, marching in time to the music and swinging his trunk. Even being an elephant couldn't ruin his enjoyment of this. All the rest of the parade participants spilled in around him. Luckily, the throne room was large enough to have held a dozen elephants.

Natsu did a flaming somersault and threw his balls up in the air, where they exploded into fireworks near the ceiling.

Gray stood up. The carpet lifted him into the air, swooped down to the floor dramatically, and stopped abruptly right in front of the sultan. Gray made a deep bow while the music reached its conclusion with a crash.

Natsu started directing the parade away into other parts of the palace so they wouldn't be in the way... and so he could make them disappear inconspicuously.

"Your majesty," said Gray, doing his best to sound regal and not at all anxious, "I am Prince Gareth, and I have journeyed from afar to seek your daughter's hand in marriage."

Makarov smiled. "I'm delighted to meet you, Prince Gareth. My goodness, I don't think I've ever seen a real magic carpet before..."

"Your majesty is quite welcome to try it out," Gray offered grandly, stepping down from the carpet. He noticed Laxus, standing nearby with a sour expression, and knew who the grand vizier was immediately. But he hid his panic and hoped the 'old man' would not recognize him in return.

"I wouldn't advise it," Laxus spoke up, trying to regain control of the situation. This prince could not have arrived at a more inconvenient time. "It could be dangerous."

"No, it's fine," Gray insisted. "The carpet can keep its riders from falling off."

"Don't try to stop me, Laxus. I want to have a little fun," Makarov replied, climbing aboard the carpet with Gray's assistance. The sultan started laughing as it took off and zoomed wildly around the room.


	17. Chapter 17

"Prince Gareth, did you say your name was?" said Laxus, trying to keep his displeasure hidden. Did no one but him think of the possibility that this prince could be an assassin? Not that he really minded the sultan getting killed... after Laxus had secured the throne for himself. "I don't believe you mentioned where you were from."

"Yes, Gareth. Er, it's so far from here that I doubt anyone's heard of it," Gray replied quickly.

"Still, I'm curious," Laxus insisted. "It must not be _that_ far away if you've heard of our princess there."

Gray considered making up a name on the spot, but was saved from answering when the carpet whizzed by, just barely missing their heads.

"I'm coming in to land," Makarov warned them, letting out a whoop. The carpet circled inches above the floor, and the sultan did a frontflip off it onto his feet.

"Well done," said Laxus dryly.

"Yes, I do seem to have a knack for it," the sultan agreed modestly. While he thanked Gray for allowing him the pleasure, the carpet wobbled dizzily over toward Happy and collapsed over the elephant's trunk.

After complimenting Gray a bit, the sultan whispered to Laxus, "If we're lucky, you won't have to marry Lucy after all."

"I don't trust this prince," Laxus whispered back.

Makarov shrugged him off. "Nonsense. I think Lucy will like him."

Gray overheard the last part and commented, "I'm pretty sure I'll like her highness as well."

None of them noticed when Lucy entered the room.

"Why don't you ask the princess her opinion?" asked Laxus, playing for time. "I don't see how this prince is any different from the others. What makes him think he can win the princess when they couldn't?"

"I am Prince Gareth," Gray said, perhaps a trifle more arrogantly than he really meant to. "Just let me meet the princess. I'll win her."

"How dare you!" snapped Lucy. The three men jerked in surprise, then looked slightly ashamed as Lucy went on angrily, "You all think you can stand around deciding my future for me? Well, I'm not just a trophy or a pretty toy!" She stormed out of the room.

"Oh dear..." Makarov sighed. "Perhaps you'd better give her some time to cool down, Gareth."

"Yeah," agreed Gray. "We seem to have got off on the wrong foot, but maybe later I can try to make a better impression." They left the throne room.

Laxus scowled. He needed to find Pantherlily. This plan to marry the princess was going to need some revision.

* * *

Gray paced back and forth, too upset to enjoy the wonders of the garden around him. "How can I change Lucy's mind about me when she won't even let me see her? I didn't expect the prince thing to backfire like this..."

Nearby, Happy poked at a mound of fish with his huge, clumsy front feet.

"Then maybe you should stop trying to be one," suggested Natsu. "If the princess liked you as a thief, why try to be something else?"

Gray sighed. "I don't know if she'd help me or expose me. I... I need to get to know her a little better." He glanced over at Happy, remembering the cat's earlier warning about being careful of pretty girls.

The carpet drifted over and nudged Happy's trunk towards the fish. The puzzled elephant stared cross-eyed at his nose, then started to experiment with using it instead of his 'paws'.

Natsu shrugged. "Sometimes you gotta take a chance if you want the prize."

"Lucy's not a prize!" Gray yelled at the djinn.

"Then maybe you should make sure she knows that!" Natsu yelled back.

"Didn't you hear me? I can't!"

"You've got a magic carpet, don't you? There's nothing stopping you from flying up to her balcony for a visit."

Gray bit back a retort as he realized the djinn was right. "Carpet... if you would?" he asked, trying to ignore the smug look on Natsu's face.

The carpet did a flutter that was suspiciously similar to an eye-roll, then glided over so Gray could climb on.


	18. Chapter 18

Loke turned toward the balcony and growled.

Lucy glanced up from the book she was reading, surprised that someone would be coming from that direction. "Who's there?" she called.

"It is I, Prince Gareth," came the reply.

Lucy's annoyance smothered her curiosity. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you."

The voice suddenly lost its self-important tone. "But I just... Please give me a chance, Princess."

Loke sprang through the door curtains and out on to the balcony, where he cornered Gray against the railing.

"Down, kitty," Gray said stiffly while the lion snarled at him. "Good kitty, stay back..."

Lucy set her book down and went out to frown at the prince, who seemed strangely familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Uh..." Gray scrambled for an answer, not wanting to lie. But could he tell her the truth? He smiled nervously. "Is that even possible?"

"I guess not," sighed Lucy, losing interest. Her eyes drifted to the side, away from Gray. "Loke, don't crowd him. You're making him fidgety."

Loke backed off a bit, but he still stared warningly at Gray.

"Well, I'm sure I would remember meeting a lady as beautiful as you, Princess," Gray said, eyeing the lion warily. He missed the way her attention snapped back to him.

"And as rich and important, right?" Lucy purred, coming a step or two nearer. Loke moved out of her way.

"Uh..." Gray wasn't quite sure what to make of her sudden change from despondent to flirty.

"It's not everyday one gets to meet the granddaughter of a sultan, after all...

"Yeah, I know," said Gray, wondering what she was up to. She was inches away from him now.

"What better prize could there be for a prince?"

Gray froze. He knew it; she was still mad at him.

"A prince... like you. An arrogant, swaggering peacock!"

Gray shut his eyes tightly as she pulled his turban down over his face and threw his cape over the top of it. He heard her footsteps as she headed back inside. He was losing her again. "You're right," he called after her.

The footsteps stopped. "What?"

Gray untangled his head from the muffling cloth and repeated himself. "I said, you're right. I'm being too arrogant, and you aren't just a trophy. You should have the freedom to choose a husband for yourself."

The princess was blinking at him in confusion now. That seemed like a good sign.

"If you really want me to leave, I will." Without waiting for her answer, he climbed up on the railing.

"W-wait!" cried Lucy. She might not like the prince, but she didn't want him to fall.

Gray paused. "Yes?"

"Don't leave that way! You'll kill yourself!"

"I'm fine," Gray said with a smirk, and he slid off the railing.

Lucy ran over and peered after him, her heart racing.

A few feet below the balcony, Gray gazed calmly up at her from his hovering carpet. "See?"

Lucy scowled at him. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry. But didn't you wonder how I got up here in the first place?"

The carpet lifted up level with the railing. Lucy reached out and ran her hand along the edge. "This is... a magic carpet?"

"Yeah. You like it?"

The princess nodded. "It's lovely."

Things weren't going too badly now. Gray paused, then asked cautiously, "Would... Would you like to go for a ride?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Is it safe?"

Gray only smiled. "Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Gray repeated, holding out his hand to her. He knew perfectly well that he'd done exactly the same thing the first time they'd met.

Lucy stared back at him, and he saw understanding in her eyes. "Yes," she said slowly, taking his hand and letting him pull her onto the carpet with him.

Loke gave a concerned growl.

"It's okay, Loke. If he tries anything inappropriate, I'll smack him," Lucy assured the lion.

The carpet zoomed up toward the clouds, not going fast enough to knock them over, but fast enough that Lucy clutched Gray's sleeve with a gasp. He thought about putting his arm around her so she'd feel more secure, but he didn't want to be smacked so he just let her hang on to him.


	19. Chapter 19

After she'd enjoyed the view for a while, Lucy spoke up. "So... You mind telling me how a thief can get arrested and executed, then show up as a prince like nothing happened?"

Gray frowned. "Executed? Who told you that?"

"The grand vizier, Laxus."

"Figures," muttered Gray. He briefly recounted how Laxus had used him to fetch the lamp and then left him to die, and how the grand vizier didn't get the lamp after all. He explained about discovering that it was a genie's lamp, the way he tricked Natsu into getting them out of the cave, and finally how he'd used his first wish.

"You like me that much?" giggled Lucy. Secretly, she was flattered and more than a little pleased.

"Yeah... and I thought maybe you liked me back. Just a little." Gray looked off to the side awkwardly.

Lucy blushed. "You're different from the other princes, and you're a lot like me. Neither of us is able to do what we want..."

"That's why I wished to be a prince," said Gray, smiling. "I wanted a chance to make my own fate for once. And, just maybe, give you a chance too."

"What chance?" asked Lucy, a bit confused.

"Well, didn't you kind of want to choose who you end up marrying? I'm not... not saying you have to choose me..."

Lucy laughed. "I'll think about it. In the meantime, I won't tell anyone that you're not a prince."

"Thanks."

* * *

The carpet formed part of itself into stairs, allowing the princess to descend gracefully to her balcony. Loke greeted her with a joyful rumble. Gray guided the carpet back and down so the railing was between him and Lucy.

She walked over and leaned on the railing, gazing at him with a content look on her face. "Good night, my handsome prince," she said in a slightly teasing tone.

"Sleep well, princess," replied Gray.

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, and then were surprised when the carpet jerked upward, pushing Gray toward Lucy. Gray braced his hands against the railing, just managing to keep his face from colliding with Lucy's.

Lucy's startled look faded quickly, and her mouth twitched in amusement just before she leaned in the rest of the way and completed the kiss that they'd almost been forced into.

Loke scowled, but he turned his head away. Apparently, if it was okay with the princess, then it was okay with the lion too.

When their lips finally parted, Gray watched Lucy until she disappeared through the curtains into her room. Then he let himself fall backward onto the carpet, immeasurably happy.

The carpet drifted in lazy circles toward the ground, and Gray closed his eyes. In a few minutes, he'd have to satisfy the curiosity of Happy and Natsu, but for now...

Suddenly, a tremor ran through the carpet, and Gray almost thought he felt it tensing up. He opened his eyes an instant before four sets of hands grabbed him. Palace guards?

"Hey! What are-" He couldn't get anything more out because a guard was shoving a gag into his mouth. "Haffy! Nafu!" he tried to yell for his friends around the gag. But Happy was struggling helplessly against several thick chains staked to the ground, and Natsu was nowhere in sight.

The guards were shoving him face down, pulling his hands behind his back, wrapping chains around his wrists and ankles. Another guard busily tied the carpet in a knot around one of the garden's trees.

A pair of boots appeared in front of Gray's face, and he strained his neck upward to find Laxus glowering at him.

"Prince Gareth. You're not welcome here anymore," said the grand vizier sourly. He turned and strode away. "Make sure he's never found."

"Yes, sir." Captain Erza's voice, Gray realized, just before she slammed a fist against his head and everything went dark.

No one heard the quiet growling of a displeased lion.


	20. Chapter 20

Gray came awake with a start when he hit the water. Above him, a cliff beyond the water's surface slowly blurred as he sank. He was still chained and gagged, and a quick glance downward revealed that a heavy iron ball was dragging him toward the bottom.

He'd never seen so much water before; there was precious little of it in the desert. He had no idea how far Magnolia was from the nearest ocean, but that didn't really matter at the moment. What he did know was that he couldn't breathe water, and breathing was necessary to stay alive.

The iron ball came to rest on the sea floor, and Gray tried in vain to get free. Then he saw his turban hit the sand a short distance away, spilling the lamp from its folds.

The lamp. If he could just reach it... As he jerked around and tried to move the iron ball, he thought how ironic it was that in getting rid of a troublesome prince, Laxus had thrown away the very item he'd wanted so dearly.

Gray turned his back to the lamp and stretched his bound hands out to it. But as the lamp finally slid down a slope of sand into his grasp, he found he couldn't hold his breath any longer and the darkness claimed him once more.

The lamp slid a tiny bit farther, rubbing against his limp fingers. A cloud of smoke started to billow out, forming the pink-haired djinn, who once again hadn't bother to solidify his legs and was currently not wearing his vest or scarf.

Natsu didn't notice something was wrong right away, since he had no need to breathe. "Why do you masters always have to interrupt my bath?" he grumbled, then took a closer look at Gray. "Hey... Wake up!"

Gray didn't move, and Natsu started to get worried. Sure, he was an annoying master, but he was the first master ever to show any interest in the djinn. He'd even promised to free him! Natsu didn't know if Gray would keep his word, but for the first time in centuries, he dared to hope.

"Okay, I get that being chained up underwater is an emergency. But I can't help you if you don't wake up!" The djinn grabbed Gray's shoulders and shook him. "You can't cheat this time! You have to make a wish! Even just 'Save me, Natsu!' is fine."

Gray's head bobbed back and forth, then hung motionless when Natsu paused.

"Wish!" shouted Natsu, his voice echoing through the water with more emotion than he'd known he had. "Wish, baka!"

Gravity pulled Gray's chin back toward his chest.

Natsu let out a gusty sigh. "All right, I'll take that as a wish." He ducked down, pulling Gray over his shoulder. His fire magic crackled across Gray's chains, unaffected by the water, and shattered them.

The next instant the djinn was rocketing toward the air, leaving a fiery trail behind him. He flew up out of the water and landed on the cliff, which was empty. The guards were long gone.

Natsu dumped Gray on the ground and rolled him onto his stomach, then thumped his back repeatedly. Gray woke and started coughing up water. When his lungs were mostly empty, Natsu helped him sit up.

"That was your second wish, dummy," snapped Natsu. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Gray didn't argue. "Natsu, I..." He gave another cough. "Sorry... Arigato, Natsu."

Natsu's scowl softened slightly. "You scared me," he muttered.

Gray gave him an astonished look. "What, are you getting fond of me?"

"No way!" Natsu said quickly. "I just... You promised you were gonna free me, and you can't do that if you're dead! Why would I be fond of a stupid, aggravating master like you? And now I have to carry your sorry self back to Magnolia."

"I can walk," protested Gray, scrambling to his feet.

Natsu shook his head. "You'd never make it that far. The guards who brought you here had horses, you know. Besides, it'll be faster for me to fly you. Now, you want a piggy-back ride? Fireman carry? Or maybe you'd prefer bridal style."

"Uh... No thanks. Isn't there a more dignified method?"

"It's impossible to be dignified when you're being carried," snorted Natsu. "Piggy-back is probably the closest you can get." The djinn turned his back to Gray, grabbing the human's legs and hoisting him up.

Gray hastily wrapped his arms around Natsu's neck, feeling a little unstable.

The djinn started rising into the air. "You're wet."

"I can't help that. I didn't ask to go swimming." Gray coughed again.

"I could dry you off."

"Without burning me?"

"Of course! Don't insult me!"

"Relax, Natsu. But actually, I think being wet might be helpful when I get back and tell them Laxus tried to have me killed."

"Whatever."


	21. Chapter 21

Flying was pretty boring. Natsu insisted on going high enough that no one would see them, and as a result Gray couldn't see much of anything either. He tried to hold a conversation with the djinn, but he had to be careful what he said so Natsu wouldn't start yelling. He was too close to the djinn for his ears to handle the volume that loud.

"Where did your vest and scarf go?" was the first thing Gray wanted to know.

"I was taking a bath," Natsu snapped. "I said so earlier. Weren't you listening?"

"It's not my fault! I was busy trying not to drown. So you left your clothes in the lamp?"

"No. I don't actually live in the lamp," said Natsu. "It would be way too crowded in there. The lamp's just a key to the dimension I'm trapped in, and I can only come out when you rub it. And if I get too far from the lamp I've only got a certain amount of time before I get zapped back inside."

"So that's what happened earlier, huh?"

Natsu growled. "Yeah, but let's stop talking about it now. I hate the whole situation."

Gray racked his brains for something else to talk about, but before he could come up with anything, Natsu spoke again.

"How'd it go with the princess?"

Gray told him.

* * *

"Lucy." The sultan stood in the open half of the double doors to the princess' room.

"Gramps!" Lucy jumped off her bed and ran to hug her grandfather. "I'm so happy right now!"

"I'm glad," said Makarov, but his smile was a little strained. "I hope my news won't upset you too much..." He took a deep breath and went on, "That prince who arrived today has disappeared, so it seems we only have one choice left. In accordance with the law, I shall choose a husband for you."

"What?" gasped Lucy.

The other half of the doors opened, and Laxus stepped through it. "I suppose it's too much to hope for your approval, Princess?" he said emotionlessly.

"I'll never marry you!" Lucy hissed. "Gramps, I just spoke with Prince Gareth earlier this evening. He didn't say anything about leaving! He can't have just disappeared!"

"I'm sorry, dear..." Makarov shook his head. "We can't find any trace of him, or of the many servants who attended him during his arrival in Magnolia. He's gone."

"Perhaps you'd better check again and this time, do it right."

The three of them spun to find Gray leaning against the wall outside the door with his arms crossed. His clothes were still damp, including the turban tied to his belt, and he was glaring at Laxus.

"Gareth!" cried Lucy. "I knew you hadn't left!"

Gray came into the room and faced Laxus. "Why don't you tell them the truth? You only said I was gone because that's what you wanted... or rather, what you tried to make happen. Ordering my murder was going a little too far, don't you think?"

Lucy looked angry enough to march over and throttle Laxus, but Makarov laid his hand on her arm. "Keep still," he said. "Laxus, what do you have to say to this?"

The grand vizier snorted. "It's nonsense. He's lying through his teeth, and he doesn't have a shred of proof to back it up."

Gray started to answer, but interrupted himself with a coughing fit.

"Grrrrrrrrr..." Loke paced up behind Laxus, tail lashing agitatedly. Laxus froze.

Gray recovered and gave Laxus a nasty smile. "The lion saw the guards capture me and take me away. And the lion heard you say, 'Make sure he's never found.' But instead of being dead, all I've got is wet clothes and a bit of a cough. That's good, isn't it? Otherwise, the lion would be even more unhappy with you."

Loke gave a sudden snarl and Laxus jerked.

"Loke, please stay calm," said the sultan. "Guards! Guards, arrest Laxus immediately! "

The guards came running and surrounded Laxus; Erza was not among them.

The grand vizier looked around for a way out, but the only thing he saw was a glint of light off something brass in the prince's turban. The lamp!

Laxus swiftly collected his wits. "Fine, you win this one. See you around..." He pulled out an hourglass and threw it to the floor. Sand spilled, and lightning crackled. The guards who were about to grab him collapsed on the floor, screaming.

When the commotion died down, Laxus was gone.

"Search everywhere until you find him!" shouted Makarov. "Laxus... How could you do this?"

"You okay, Lucy?" asked Gray.

"I'm fine; the lightning didn't get me," Lucy assured him. "Thanks."

Makarov turned to look at them, just now noticing that Gray had pushed Lucy down on the floor, trying to protect her. He did a double take. "Lucy? Have you finally found a suitor you can tolerate for longer than two minutes?"

Lucy smiled and nodded as Gray helped her stand up. "But I haven't decided yet if I want to marry him."

"Your birthday is tomorrow, Lucy. I don't like to put any pressure on you, but... there is the law to consider..." Makarov shook his head.

"I know," sighed Lucy. "Please give me a bit longer?"

The sultan took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll start making the necessary arrangements, though, so a wedding can take place tommorow evening. So you'd better have decided by then, or it'll all go to waste!" With a wink, he left the room.


	22. Chapter 22

Laxus slammed the door to his secret chamber shut behind him and leaned back against it. "Lily..."

Pantherlily looked up from the fruit bowl filled with kiwis that had been monopolizing his attention. "What?"

"It's him," whispered Laxus. "He survived... I don't know how, but the thief survived. He's got the lamp, and he's probably figured out how to use it too, because he's masquerading as a prince."

The black cat's eyes narrowed. "So, you get another chance. I suppose you want me to think up a plan for you?"

Laxus started chuckling. "No. Not this time. This time, I know exactly what to do."

* * *

"So. How long do I gotta wait for you to make your third wish?" asked Natsu.

Gray flopped down on his bed with a sigh. "Just a bit longer. Trust me."

"Why?" Natsu whined. "You said-"

"I know exactly what I said, and I never said how long after the second wish I'd free you. I need you to stick with me, Natsu."

"I hate waiting!"

"Deal with it."

"Tell me again why I saved your sorry butt?"

"Because if you hadn't, your lamp would still be at the bottom of the sea."

"Who cares," mumbled Natsu sulkily, unable to think of a better comeback.

"And it'd probably stay there for another couple thousand years until somebody fished it up," Gray added.

Natsu turned his back on Gray and said, "I'm leaving. Don't bother calling me if you can't say anything but stupid stuff."

"Look who's talking," Gray snapped as Natsu disappeared. Still feeling irritated at the djinn, he shoved the lamp under one of the pillows on his bed and scowled. It didn't improve his mood when he noticed Happy peering in the window. "What are you looking at?"

Happy blinked in surprise and made a sad noise through his trunk. Then he turned and left.

"Wait," Gray called after him. "Happy, I'm sorry..." The sound of heavy footsteps got farther away. Gray stood up and ran out of the room to find the blue elephant and apologize.

As soon as he had gone, a black cat stealthily entered the room and hopped onto the bed. He shuffled through the pillows until he found the lamp. "Good," he murmured. "He left it behind. Laxus will be pleased to get it so soon." He grabbed the lamp's handle in his mouth and scurried off, careful not to rub the thing accidentally.


	23. Chapter 23

"Happy? Where are you?" Gray looked around in puzzlement. How hard was it to find a blue elephant? The garden wasn't that big, after all. He continued walking. Around the next corner, however, he found Lucy.

"Hi, Gareth," she said. "I was wondering where you were."

"Here and there," he answered. "Have you seen Happy? I was kinda harsh with him and he ran off..."

"No. Did you check the kitchens? They have lots of fish. Fish would make him feel better, right?"

Gray laughed. "He can't get there. The halls to the kitchens are too small for an elephant to fit in."

Lucy blinked at him. "Did you say... an elephant? The blue elephant you came on... that's Happy?"

"Yeah. I guess I forgot to tell you about that. The genie turned him into one temporarily. More impressive than a cat, I guess." Just then Gray felt something nudge him from behind. He turned and found Happy looming over him. "Oh, there you are, pal."

Happy made a soft trumpeting noise, and Gray could've sworn he was saying, _You l-l-l-love her..._

"Shut up, cat," Gray whispered. But he was glad that his friend didn't seem to be holding a grudge.

Lucy giggled. "You sound funny, calling an elephant a cat," she teased.

Happy gave Gray a firm push with his trunk, causing him to stumble a few steps closer to Lucy.

"H-hey, what was that for?"

"What is he doing?" asked Lucy.

"I don't know." Gray frowned as Happy nudged him forward again. Then the elephant's trunk slid around his back and tucked something into his hand.

Gray looked down and found he was holding a diamond ring. "Where did you get this?" he hissed into the elephant's ear, making sure Lucy couldn't hear.

Happy made a rubbing motion with his trunk. The lamp? Natsu?

"The genie gave it to you?"

Happy nodded and bumped Gray again. There was no mistaking what the cat-turned-elephant wanted.

"Gareth?" Lucy seemed curious what they were up to.

Gray took a deep breath. "First off, my real name is Gray." He moved away from his blue buddy and got down on one knee in front of the princess. "And second, I'll be happier than Happy if you'll marry me."

* * *

Natsu wasn't expecting to be summoned again so soon. He appeared with his eyes shut, arms folded, cross-legged... the very image of a powerful djinn who should not be disturbed by annoying, bothersome mortals. "I'm not in the mood to listen to any more dumb remarks. This better be worth coming out for."

"Oh, it is, I assure you."

Natsu's eyes flew open at the sound of a strange voice. The man holding the lamp didn't look like Gray. His hair was short, blond, and it stood up more than Gray's. He was taller than the thief, his shoulders were wider, and he had a scar across his right eye. A black cat sat by his feet.

"You're not Gray! Who are you?" yelled Natsu.

The blond smirked. "I'm Laxus. You will refer to me as master."

"Yeah, right," snorted Natsu. "Like I'd ever listen to you, jerk."

Next thing the djinn knew, one side of his skull met a thick fist and the other side dented the wall. He slid down to the floor, clutching his head and trying to remember how to assume an insubstantial form.

Laxus grabbed him by the scarf and dragged him back upright. "Show more respect, slave. I happen to know that if your lamp gets broken, you'll be stuck on the other side for eternity. You wouldn't want that, would you?" The grand vizier flexed his fist and continued smirking.

Natsu gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" he spat out. Then, as Laxus narrowed his eyes, the djinn added, "Master," like the word tasted bad.

"Let's start with my first wish, slave. I wish to be sultan, a more impressive sultan than any who's ever ruled before. See to it."


	24. Chapter 24

Makarov was relieved when Lucy approached him with the prince at her side, a smile on her face, and a ring on her hand. The wedding could go ahead as scheduled. Too bad that he didn't get to stay relieved very long.

Out of nowhere the wind picked up. Dark clouds slowly filled the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Happy looked around apprehensively and hunched down as much as an elephant could.

"What's going on?" Makarov demanded as his clothes started to glow and then vanished. The sultan was rather embarrassed to find himself wearing only his undershorts.

"Someone's using magic," said Gray. He reached for his turban, intending to ask Natsu about it, but then he remembered he'd left the lamp in his room. A good reason to start worrying.

Lucy moved closer to Gray, trying not to be scared. "I have a bad feeling..."

"You're not the only one," Gray told her.

There was a clap of thunder painfully close, and Laxus appeared to them, dressed in the white robes of a sultan with the lamp tucked under one arm. "Missing something?" he asked with an evil chuckle.

A shadow loomed over them all. Gray looked up and recognized the silhouette of a certain scarf-wearing djinn as the palace was wrenched from the ground and lifted into the sky. The carpet flew out one of the windows, almost unnoticed until it swooped down to Gray. He quickly jumped aboard.

"Natsu!" he yelled as the carpet flew up near the djinn's much-larger-than-normal face. "What are you doing?!"

"You lost your chance, dummy," growled Natsu. "I got a new master and I don't listen to you anymore."

Makarov started yelling and waving his fists in the air. "Laxus, is this your doing? Stop at once!"

"Wouldn't you like that?" laughed Laxus. "But I'm in charge now. You people can start bowing down any time."

"No way!" shouted Lucy. "Gramps is the sultan, not you!"

Laxus waved one hand in the direction of Natsu, who was somehow setting the palace firmly in a bank of clouds. "As a result of my obedient slave's efforts, not only am I the sultan, but I'm a powerful sorcerer as well. And that was an order, by the way." He snapped his fingers.

Lightning crackled around the princess and her grandfather, throwing them on the ground. A roar rang out, and Loke came running to defend his mistress.

"Down, boy!" Laxus barked quickly.

A lightning bolt hit the lion, and he shrunk down to a tawny housecat. Loke staggered forward another few steps and collapsed, confused by his new size.

"Leave them alone, Laxus!" Gray came zooming down on his carpet.

Laxus snatched Gray up with his magic and suspended him in mid-air. "You've caused me too much trouble already, thief. Time to drop the prince act." He flicked his wrist, and Gray's clothes shone brightly, reverting to the ragged trousers he'd worn previously. "Let's see how you like it at the ends of the earth."

Happy panicked at this threat and charged toward Laxus, trumpeting his rage, but Laxus zapped him and returned him to his cat shape.

"You're certainly welcome to join him," said Laxus. He levitated both of them into a lone tower that hadn't come up with the rest of the palace, then raised one arm in the air. Lightning came arcing down from the sky to him, and he stood there like a lightning rod for a few moments before slamming his fist into the ground.

The magic power exploded underneath the tower and launched it high into the air, just as the carpet managed to zip inside without anyone seeing.

"Gray!" Lucy cried as the tower disappeared from sight. "No, Graaaay!"

Laxus gave a maniacal laugh. "Good riddance!"

The shadows hiding Natsu's face grew darker.


	25. Chapter 25

Far to the north, the tower's flight slowed and it began to lose altitude. Within minutes it plummeted into a snow drift and broke apart.

Gray dug himself out of the rubble, shivering. "Happy?" he called.

A pile of snow shifted slightly. "Aye, s-sir..."

Gray scrambled over to it and swept the snow aside, uncovering his little blue friend. He scooped the cat up and held him to his chest. "You okay, Happy?"

"S-so... c-cold," stammered Happy.

"I know, buddy. I am t-too..." Gray started walking to keep his teeth from chattering. "I'm sorry. I should have freed Natsu right away. Then Laxus wouldn't have gotten the lamp."

"N-not... your f-fault..."

"Either way, I'll fix it. Laxus won't get away with this." Gray looked down at the cat. "You're turning blue."

Happy snorted. "I'm always b-blue."

"Well, you're turning blue-er," insisted Gray. "We have to get back to Magnolia..."

A piece of the wreckage fell, and Gray looked toward the sound. There was the carpet, trapped under some debris and wriggling to get loose.

"Carpet!" Gray ran over and set Happy down. "Come on, Happy, help me get this junk moved."

Working quickly, they soon got the carpet unstuck. It shook off a few flakes of snow and made a motion for them to climb on.

"How fast can you get us home?" asked Gray. The carpet's answer was to take off at full speed as soon as they were aboard, heading south.

* * *

The throne room was dimly lit and nearly unrecognizable to Lucy. Then again, she almost didn't recognize herself. Because of Laxus and his magic, her old outfit had been replaced by something which showed a lot more skin. She wouldn't mind Gray seeing her in it, but she didn't like the way Laxus stared at her.

"How long are you going to make him dance?" asked Pantherlily. From his vantage point on the arm of the throne, he was watching in distaste as Makarov, dressed as a jester, was forced to perform ridiculously for the new sultan.

"Until I'm bored," Laxus replied. "Why, did you want him to sing a song instead?"

Pantherlily shook his head and twitched his tail irritably. "Forget I said anything."

Makarov continued making a fool of himself under Laxus's command. Finally, Lucy couldn't stand it any longer. "Please, stop! Leave him alone!"

Laxus smiled at her. "I might, if my queen were to ask me..." He leaned over and ran a finger along one of the golden chains that bound Lucy to his throne. "How about it? Want to trade your chains for a crown, my beauty?"

Lucy swung her face away from him in disgust. "Never. And I'm not your beauty."

Laxus laughed loudly. "You're no longer a princess, sweetheart. You can be my queen or my slave, but you are mine now. Just like the genie. Hmm, that gives me an idea..."

He turned and addressed Natsu, who was sitting sulkily off to the side. "Genie, I have to decided to make my final wish. I wish for this slave girl of mine to fall desperately in love with me."

The djinn didn't look up. "No," he said darkly. "I can't do that."

Laxus frowned. "Don't talk back to me, slave."

Natsu glared at his new master, but there was a dull look in his eye and no sign of any actual annoyance. "You wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell you earlier, but I'm not all-powerful. I can't make people fall in love. It's one of the rules."

Lucy had been holding her breath, and now she let it out in a relieved sigh.

"I make the rules around here!" roared Laxus. He stood up and stomped over to loom above the djinn.

"Sure, whatever. Why don't you try ordering the sun to stand still while you're at it?"

Makarov snuck off while no one was paying attention to him, deeply embarrassed by his misfortunes. Lucy noticed, but then she saw something else that made her forget about her grandfather and the argument between Laxus and Natsu.

Gray was back. He was peering out of the throne room's crimson curtains with a calculating look. When he noticed her watching him, he held a finger to his lips.

Lucy gave him a tiny nod and began searching her brain for way to keep Laxus from noticing the thief.

"Laxus..."

The sugary tone of her voice made Laxus turn away from his argument with Natsu.

Lucy was leaning against his throne, twirling one of her chains and eyeing the new sultan. "Maybe I was a little hasty. I have so much trouble controlling my temper sometimes... Do forgive me, won't you?"

A smile crept across Laxus's face. "Having second thoughts?"

Lucy shrugged fetchingly. "Well, it's not like you're an ugly old man." She paused, then went on as if she had just realized it. "In fact, you're kind of handsome."

Natsu gaped at her. "What about Gray?"

"Who?" Lucy frowned at the djinn, acting a bit puzzled but not really interested. "Oh, you mean the half-dressed street rat? What about him?"

Laxus chuckled and flicked Natsu in the head before walking over to Lucy. "Yes, what about the brat?"

"Oh, let's not talk about him. You're much more interesting."


	26. Chapter 26

Natsu continued to gape as Lucy went on flirting with Laxus.

Pantherlily noticed a ripple in the curtains and leaped down from the throne to investigate. But he stopped a few steps away from it and his fur bristled. He turned back toward Laxus, mouth opening, but a streak of blue appeared and pulled the black cat out of sight.

Natsu knew of only one thing the blue streak could be. He stealthily moved until he was blocking the ripple from Laxus's view, hoping his master didn't hear the small sounds of a scuffle happening between two cats behind the curtain.

 _Why'd you come back?_ Natsu thought, projecting the words into the mind he knew must be nearby. _I won't be able to help you, idiot... I'm not allowed to fight against my master._

 _I'm not an idiot,_ he heard Gray snap back reflexively. _I can handle this without your help. I've been living on the streets my whole life; I know how to improvise._

 _What are you planning?_

 _To get your lamp back, duh. Once I wish you free, you won't have to obey Laxus, right?_

The black cat wrenched out of Happy's grip. The blue cat quickly got him under control again, but they had made enough noise for Laxus to hear.

Laxus started to turn around, but Lucy grabbed him and kissed him hard on the mouth.

Instead of taking advantage of the moment, everyone froze. The two cats paused mid-struggle. Natsu stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Even Gray, crouched near the throne, remained motionless with his fingers inches from the lamp.

When Lucy finally pulled back, Laxus smiled at her. "Very nice... for a diversion." He pushed her away roughly and spun toward Gray, shooting lightning at the thief. "Why don't you die already, pest?!"

Gray barely dodged, and he was forced farther away from the lamp. He charged at Laxus head on, grabbing the man's arms. "Lucy, get the lamp!"

Lucy obeyed, but just as she picked it up Laxus threw Gray off. "Sorry, time's up!" Laxus shouted.

With a thunderclap a huge hourglass formed around the girl, knocking the lamp from her hands. Sand began falling on her head.

Happy slammed Pantherlily's head into the floor hard enough to daze the black cat, then raced toward the fallen lamp.

"Don't toy with me!" Laxus transformed the blue cat into a small wind-up kitten.

The carpet zipped in, making its own try for the lamp.

Laxus's magic turned the carpet into a pile of thread and tassels. "Oops, looks like your plan unravelled a little," he chuckled.

Gray rushed for the lamp again, only to have his path blocked by a fence of swords.

"Do you get the point yet?" said Laxus.

Gray stretched his arm through a gap between the blades, but Laxus moved the lamp out of his reach. Gray pulled back and tugged one of the swords out of the floor, then stepped through the space it left and headed for Laxus.

"You'll never beat me," Laxus taunted. "I'm just getting warmed up." He breathed a stream of fire into a circle around Gray, trapping him.

"Hey, that's _my_ magic!" But nobody gave any sign that they'd heard Natsu's objection.

"Why don't you fight me yourself, you cowardly snake?" Gray shouted as he skidded to a stop inside the flaming ring.

"Very well... I'll show you how snake-like I can be." Laxus walked toward Gray, but as he stepped into the flames, his shape wavered. In a moment the fire and Laxus's body had blended together and reformed into a gigantic cobra.

Finding himself surrounded by the huge snake, Gray tried to stab it, but he had to spend most of his time avoiding it when it struck at him. The thief landed a hit and Laxus hissed angrily.

"That's it!" Natsu yelled from the sidelines. "Kick his butt!"

"Sshut up, ssslave," Laxus ordered.

"You didn't wish," Natsu pointed out. "Give it to him, Gray!"

While Laxus was distracted by the djinn, Gray ran toward the hourglass where Lucy was fighting to stay on top of the sand. The snake saw him and flung a loop of its body in his way, causing him to fall. His sword went spinning away across the floor.

"Gray!" Lucy called, her voice muffled by the glass.

Gray got back up and went after the sword. Laxus slithered after him, but the thief retrieved his blade and stabbed the snake with it. Laxus shrieked in agony, and Gray headed back towards Lucy.

"Hold on, Lucy!" Gray raised his sword back to hit the glass, but Laxus threw his coils around the thief and pinned his arms to his sides. The sword fell and clattered on the floor.

"Fool," hissed Laxus. "You can't defeat the mosst powerful being in the world. You're nothing without the genie."


	27. Chapter 27

Inside the snake's tightening grasp, Gray glanced over at Natsu. The djinn wore a frustrated look on his face.

 _So, what's your plan now? How you gonna improvise outta this?_

Gray didn't bother answering Natsu's thought. He just turned back to look at Laxus and gasped out, "You're no different."

"What?!" hissed Laxus.

"You call yourself... the most powerful being in the world," said Gray, finding it hard to breathe. "But the genie gave you that power... and he can take it away. He's way... more powerful... than you'll ever be."

"What are you doing?!" Natsu yelled. "Idiot! Don't bring me into this!"

But Gray just grinned stubbornly, ignoring the djinn. "Face it, Laxus... You're only... second best."

Laxus loosened his grip slightly and started slithering around Natsu. "You're right. But I won't be for long."

"You're listening to him?!" Natsu shook his head in disbelief. "He's crazy! You're holding him so tight that his brain can't get enough air! ...Master."

"Ssslave," hissed Laxus, his serpent head staring down at Natsu, "I wissh to be an all-powerful genie."

A fearful look crossed Natsu's face. "Now you've done it, Gray," he muttered.

 _Do it,_ thought Gray. _Do it now._

Natsu closed his eyes tight and let the magic flow.

Laxus's snake form vanished and he rose toward the ceiling, regaining a human-like shape again. "Yes..."

Gray dropped to the floor and reached for the sword. In the hourglass, the sand had risen so high that only Lucy's hand was visible, reaching out to him. Then it too disappeared. Gray swung his sword and broke the glass. Lucy fell out in a swirl of sand and Gray caught her in his arms.

Laxus, grown huge and grotesque, pushed against the ceiling with his shoulders. "Yes... The power... the absolute power!" With these words, the ceiling shattered and wind swirled through the throne room.

Lucy coughed up sand, staring at the terrible sight above them. "Gray... What did you do?!"

"Do you trust me?" he whispered.

"Y-yes..."

In the dark sky, Laxus spun magic around his hands. Shining lights whirled like galaxies beneath his touch. "The universe is mine to command, to control!"

Gray stood shakily, but his voice was firm as he called out, "You're forgetting something, Laxus."

The new genie looked down and laughed, but Gray stooped and lifted up an object from the floor so all could see... An object that hadn't been there a moment before. It was a lamp, blacker than Pantherlily's fur.

"A genie isn't free," said Gray. "He serves whoever holds his lamp."

Bands of black metal appeared on Laxus's wrists. The misty lower half of his body formed a tail that led right to the black lamp. "NO!" Laxus screamed as the dimension of his lamp pulled at him. But it did no good. A moment later the new genie was gone.

Gray stared at the black lamp in his hands. "I don't know that I want to ask _him_ for any wishes."

Natsu cackled. "Then should I put him in that cave where you found me?"

"Sounds good," said Gray, handing the lamp over.

The djinn made it disappear and then snickered. "Serves him right if nobody finds him for ten thousand years... Now watch me put everything back to norm-" He looked over at Gray, but the thief was already talking with Lucy.

"Okay," Natsu sighed. "Then don't watch me."


	28. Chapter 28

"I guess the wedding's off," said Lucy. "Now that everyone knows you're not a prince..."

"No!" Gray shook his head firmly. "If you want to marry me, don't let anything stop you."

Lucy gave him a sad smile. "If those in power don't follow the law, no one will."

"Don't give me that. You didn't care before, even though you knew I was a commoner, and worse, a criminal. If you're so worried about the law, just change it."

"I can't..."

"I can," Natsu spoke up. "Go on, Gray. You still have your last wish. Tell me you want the law to say that a princess can marry whoever she wants, and I'll do it!"

"But I promised I'd set you free," objected Gray.

Natsu tucked his chin into his scarf and refused to look at Gray. "None of us is free. If you two have a chance to follow your dreams, it'd be selfish of me to hold you back."

"You're sure?"

The djinn scowled at the floor. "Just wish already, baka, so I can change the law for you."

Gray nodded, a decisive look on his face. "I wish... for your freedom."

Natsu grinned and cracked his knuckles, then realized what Gray had said. "Wait, didn't I tell you that -"

"I know," smirked Gray. "But we're doing this together. We're all going to be free. Lucy and I can find some other way to get around the law, but there's only one choice for you. I'll say it again, in case you didn't hear: I wish for you to be your own master, Natsu the fire djinn."

Natsu started glowing, and so did his lamp. While the djinn stood with his mouth agape, his brass wristbands dissolved into sparks of light, and the lamp faded into nothing. "I'm... free?"

"Yep," said Gray, crossing his arms now that his hands were empty.

Natsu's expression remained blank for a second. Then he gave a huge grin and started zipping around the throne room, igniting into a flaming ball of excitement. "I'm free! I'm free at last! I'm all fired up!"

He stopped burning for a moment and stood in front of Gray, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Quick, wish for something outrageous!" he ordered. "Like an island! Try wishing for an island!"

Gray snorted. "Why would I want that?" But he couldn't think of any real reason to deny the crazy request. "Fine, I wish for an island."

"No way!" Natsu yelled in his face, then burst out laughing. "Oh, that felt good." Impulsively, he pulled Gray closer and hugged him. "Arigato, Gray," he murmured in the thief's ear.

"Uh... You're welcome?"

Natsu stepped away. "I think I'm gonna fix everything now," he announced, pretending he hadn't done anything odd. He snapped his fingers, instantly moving the palace back to the ground and repairing everything.

The wind-up kitty turned back into Happy, and Loke was restored to his former size. Lucy's outfit expanded to cover more of her body again. The sultan stepped out of the shadows, grateful to be in his white robes once more. And the pile of threads that had been the carpet came back together into a rectangle... then vanished. In its place was a white cat wearing a magenta dress.

She sat up and frowned at everyone who was staring at her. "What are you looking at?" she asked snippily.

No one answered, but Natsu chuckled. "I guess they've never seen a cat who was transformed into a carpet before."

Happy came over and smiled shyly at her. "What's your name, Miss?"

"It's Carla."

"Carla..." Happy sighed dreamily. "That's a pretty name. And you're pretty too; I like you better this way."

"Speaking of cats," said Gray, "where did the black one go?"

Pantherlily edged out of the throne room just before they all started looking around for him.

"Never mind," Makarov said dismissively. "Did I hear someone talking about changing a law?"

"Yes, Gramps." Lucy looked hopeful. "I want to marry Gray, even though he's not a prince."

The sultan nodded. "I think that can be arranged," he said with a smile. "Laws are difficult to change, but the genie isn't the only being who can make a prince."

Lucy flung her arms around Gray and started crying.

"Hey, what's wrong, Princess?" asked Natsu in a panic.

"I think she's just relieved," Gray said, stroking her hair soothingly.

"Yes," Lucy wailed between sobs. "I'm relieved... and glad... and... I don't know what else."

Natsu shifted his weight awkwardly. Then he suddenly gasped and pointed out one of the windows. "Is that a dragon?!"

"Where?" asked Gray, turning.

Natsu grinned. "Hahaha, made you look!"

~The End.~


End file.
